Gentlemen,
Today I received one of the light weight kobras listed in the 8-14 "almost thin" post. This is a wonderfully elegant khukuri! The combination of good craftsmanship, keen edge out-of-box, and "just right" dimensions give this knife a friendly feel. The sheath abets this impression by being well made with a superb frog. Frog is of a heavy, stiff leather with attractive lacing, even edges and good stitching carried over to double rows. This is the only real flaw of the frog. The stitching should at least be separate rows, with each stitch locked (however that is done) to prevent unraveling. An eagle and leaves are modestly tooled into the sheath. Of the knife, the blade is a goodly 12"-13" or so with about a 5"-51/2" handle of black buff horn of dimensions that fit small hands like mine perfectly. Blade is about 1/4" at the spine from bolster to within 1/2" of a delicate tip. The width is perhaps 11/8" max. About that of the big file the blade is made from. The grind is high, even and leads to an edge that needed no introduction at all to the term "sharp." Hatchmarks are present from bolster to near tip, fading at the grind. The hatchmarks do not overwhelm the knife but lend texture and a sense of origin to the ensemble. This is a fighter. As such it could be devastating in the right hands. It could also be chief antagonist in the camp kithen, easily producing salad and kabobs, were one to be inclined to do so. For $85.00 you are certainly getting an awful lot of care, craftsmanship and uniqueness. I would certainly be satisfied if this were what the kamis decided would be a thin khukuri. #2 would be a fine addition to anyones collection, if Bill can find it.
Best to all,
Leo
[This message has been edited by leo2 (edited 08-17-2000).]
Today I received one of the light weight kobras listed in the 8-14 "almost thin" post. This is a wonderfully elegant khukuri! The combination of good craftsmanship, keen edge out-of-box, and "just right" dimensions give this knife a friendly feel. The sheath abets this impression by being well made with a superb frog. Frog is of a heavy, stiff leather with attractive lacing, even edges and good stitching carried over to double rows. This is the only real flaw of the frog. The stitching should at least be separate rows, with each stitch locked (however that is done) to prevent unraveling. An eagle and leaves are modestly tooled into the sheath. Of the knife, the blade is a goodly 12"-13" or so with about a 5"-51/2" handle of black buff horn of dimensions that fit small hands like mine perfectly. Blade is about 1/4" at the spine from bolster to within 1/2" of a delicate tip. The width is perhaps 11/8" max. About that of the big file the blade is made from. The grind is high, even and leads to an edge that needed no introduction at all to the term "sharp." Hatchmarks are present from bolster to near tip, fading at the grind. The hatchmarks do not overwhelm the knife but lend texture and a sense of origin to the ensemble. This is a fighter. As such it could be devastating in the right hands. It could also be chief antagonist in the camp kithen, easily producing salad and kabobs, were one to be inclined to do so. For $85.00 you are certainly getting an awful lot of care, craftsmanship and uniqueness. I would certainly be satisfied if this were what the kamis decided would be a thin khukuri. #2 would be a fine addition to anyones collection, if Bill can find it.
Best to all,
Leo
[This message has been edited by leo2 (edited 08-17-2000).]
